August 2003 Archives

Saturday, August 9

Last weekend was the Festival d'Envol et Macadam, with concerts around town, including Limoilou, a 25 min. walk north of the residence.

Saturday night: saw Guttermouth, a punk group from California. The band definitely knew how to work the crowd. Beware of flying promotional material...

Sunday: returned to l'Ile d'Orleans and the Montmorency falls with friends. This time, we did a tour of the entire island - nearly 3 hrs. Bought raspberries at a roadside market; climbed a tower on the east end of the island, overlooking the many fields and the St. Lawrence; and discovered that, if you spot "grilled cheese" on a menu in Quebec, it's pronounced "gree cheese."

That night, saw Sloan play in Limoilou. The Halifax natives played the UVic cafeteria in '96, and I saw them again in summer '01 at an outdoor festival on Citadel Hill, Halifax. Very upbeat, energetic show, with the bandmembers rotating guitar and drum duties.

Wednesday evening: both classes and others from residence went onboard a catamaran in the Vieux Port. After a tour past the Chateau, we sailed to Montmorency falls to catch the final night of fireworks.

Turns out, there were many other passengers onboard, including a wedding party. A guitarist played a wide-ranging set, including Pink Floyd, U2, Cat Stevens and Cindi Lauper.

Nearing the falls, the ship suddenly lurched forward, sending a few
people to the floor. Felt like someone hit us, but the crew later assured us that the engine stalled. (According to the news, it was both: the engine stalled and, losing control of steering, we hit the stern of a larger ship.)

At the falls, it began raining, then cleared somewhat as the fireworks began. The stern quickly filled with raincoat-clad, umbrella-toting passengers. Those of us who didn't think ahead tried peering out the windows, then assembled on the bow when the rain lightened. The fireworks were good, but many simply illuminated the fog.

Thursday: Festival de la Nouvelle France has begun, with events taking place nearby the residence. Many around town in 18th century period costume. Traffic is nasty. The drive from residence to the Ste.-Foy malls, usually 20 mins, took 40. So my roommate and I were late meeting a friend for dinner - the same friend I'm usually late meeting for Tuesday night movies. (Patience is a virtue, right?)

Friday: nearly all of us from both classes headed to a classmate's family cabin in Becancour, near Trois-Rivieres. We crossed the Quebec bridge and took the highway along the St. Lawrence. Stopped at a cheese factory along the way for fresh Gouda curds. Very squeaky...

The cabin lies along a gravel road, near the St. Lawrence. Fired up the BBQ and had hot dogs and steak. At dusk, we started a bonfire and by 2, crashed wherever there was room. Brought memories of summers at the cottage in Picton, Ontario to mind... well, except for the refreshments.

Had pancakes with real maple syrup for breakfast, then went swimming in the St. Lawrence's strong currents. Despite the weather forecast, it was a hot, sunny day.

Heading back, festival traffic turned the trip through Vieux Quebec along boul. Champlain from a max. 10 min. drive to an hour plus exercise in standstill torture. We convinced our friend to drop us off at the start of traffic (she lives in Ste.-Foy anyway) and made the 20 min. walk to the residence, passing other friends stuck in their cars along the way.

Monday, July 21

Saturday morning: 10 of us piled into two cars and headed to Montreal. After a few wrong turns (i.e. the scenic route), and spotting the Olympic stadium from the bridge, we arrived at a hotel near the airport after 2.

Took the subway downtown, picked up tickets for the Improv All-Stars show (part of Just For Laughs), and passed by the venue on rue St. Laurent - quite the seddy part of town. Brough East Vancouver to mind...

Went for dinner and caught sight of the annual twin parade, with siblings from across Canada, from the restaurant window.

Made it to the Monument National, the show venue, for 7. Most of our seats were in the balcony, with a good view of the stage.

Improv All-Stars featured cast members of "Whose Line Is It Anyway," including Drew Carey, Colin Mochrie and Greg Proops. A hilarious, nearly 2 hr show featuring many games from the show, which was recently cancelled.

Afterwards, we explored rue St. Catherine, ending up at a karaoke bar. Despite our numerous requests, we were only called up for "Bohemian Rhapsody."

No cots left at the hotel, so I was odd man out, having the fortune of sleeping on scary hotel duvets.

After brunch, which included sucking Jello through a straw, we made the 2.5 hr trip back to Quebec City. If you're looking for fun car games, in addition to Punch Buggies, be sure to add the PT Cruiser Bruiser to your roster.

Friday, August 1

Last Friday: at dinner, dishwasher must have broken, as the galley served dinner on paper plates with plastic utensils, paper cups and styrofoam trays. A guilt-laden meal in this age of recycling.

Saturday: Dad, Lynn and Grandma drove in from Cornwall. After dropping off luggage at hotel near airport, we drove downtown along Champlain boul., which follows the St. Lawrence. Parked near the Plains and cut across on foot to the Citadel.

From there we walked through Vieux Quebec to the Terrasse Dufferin, a wood boardwalk dividing the Chateau and the edge of the escarpment. Dad and I later made the uphill walk to the car and picked up the others at the Chateau.

That night and the next morning it rained. With a friend, met my family for breakfast at Cora's, with lots of fresh fruit and generous portions. It's popularity brought De Dutch out west to mind.

From there, we drove easst and over the bridge to l'Ile d'Orleans. A circuit of the island takes 3 hrs, so we only drove around the west side. Very pastoral, with open fields of corn and potatoes, plus pick-your-own strawberries and raspberries.

With the rain clearing up, we returned over the bridge to the Montmorency falls. Once there, storm clouds quickly appeared. I climbed the 475 or so steps alongside the falls, while the others drove around to the top. As I reached the bridge across the falls, it poured rain. With umbrella in hand, I strolled leisurely across the bridge, while other tourists ran for cover.

It soon cleared up, and we returned to Vieux Quebec for tea and dessert at Le Cochon Dingue (the Crazy Pig), followed by a quick look at the nearby shops.

Tuesday: driving to the movies, my roommate's battery died, so we pushed the car off the road and popped the trunk. Then came the embarassment of three guys who know little to nothing about cars. So I made myself useful and flagged down cars. Attempted to ask for a jumpstart in French; fortunately, the couple who stopped in a PT Cruiser spoke English.

Back on the road, we took a wrong turn and ended up near the airport. Arrived at the theatre right before the credits. The return drive was just as hectic, with the charge light flashing each time my roommate breaked for a red light.

Thursday: Vice-Admiral Buck, Chief of Maritime Staff, and Commodore O'Connell, Commander of Naval Reserve, paid the Fleet School a visit. They came into our class for a brief conversation and to answer questions.

Was late meeting a friend at the malls after class, being overly optimistic about the bus clearing rush-hour traffic downtown. For dinner, a group of us headed to an Indian restaurant in Ste.-Foy and spent three hours there. I had beef samosas, Tandori chicken and rice. For dessert, a banana and mango sherbert.

Sunday, July 6

Thursday: a group of us gathered at a nearby outdoor pub prior to the free U2 DVD concert at Agora stadium. Then it began pouring rain... Huddled under patio umbrellas, we figured they'd cancel the concert. But the rain lightened up by 9 as the music began.

U2's Elevation Tour DVD was projected on a large screen with music blaring over the stadium sound system. A decent crowd gathered despite the sketch weather.

After thirty minutes, the screen rose as a U2 cover band took the stage, complete with Popmart-era costume. They'd obviously memorized concert videos, as their U2 impressions were spot on. Good performance too. (I saw U2 for real at GM Place in Vancouver two years ago. A two hour set, including two encores. Best $50 bucks I ever spent.)

Afterwards, we headed to St. Patrick's, the local Irish pub - how fitting. The cozy pub featured a guitarist and fiddler playing Celtic music.

Saturday: headed to Degobert, a European discotheque-style bar, with huge dance floor, elaborate lights... and lasers!

Sunday: checked out the Festival d'Ete, which runs from July 3rd to 13th. Four hundred Canadian and international musicians and entertainers, with stages around Vieux Quebec and on the Plains.

Note of interest: in Quebec City, traffic first moves in one direction, then the other, then traffic is stopped in both directions for pedestrians to cross. This allows for improvised J-walking - crossing through the intersection diagonally.

Tuesday, July 15

Last Tuesday, saw "Charlie's Angels 2" in French for cheap downtown. Understood half the dialogue, which is sufficient for such a silly, pointless movie. And having Demi Moore dubbed by a French actress benefitted the film. Wonder if the same would work for Keanu?

Wednesday: saw the New Pornographers, a Vancouver rock group, in concert. An upbeat, energetic show, but the dinner theatre layout of the club prevented any dancing, save for a few zealous fans in the front row (no, not me). Due to their name, the band was turned down for an upcoming charity concert festival. The Barenaked Ladies had similar problems early on.

Thursday: visited the University of Laval in Ste-Foy with some Quebecois friends. Although the campus isn't as nice as UVic, the pub was much more lively than Felicita's.

Saturday: borrowing a marker board from the hall, a group of us played Win, Lose or Draw in our room, girst against guys. Later, we headed to Pizzeria d'Youville on rue St. Jean for gourmet, European-style pizza. Very good.

Friday, June 27

Past few afternoons, played frisbee with others at nearby field. Also played Scrabble for the first time in years. New editions of the game include "q"-words not requiring "u," like QWERTY.

Went to Chez Ashton for poutine, with big chunks of squeeky cheese curds. "Mini" size filled a plate. I'd hate to see super-sized... :)

Civvie day today: for a $1 to charity, we can wear our plain clothes to class. Many of my classmates headed to Ottawa for the weekend. Having spent all of 1997 there, I intend to explore Quebec City some more.

Monday, June 30

Friday evening, a friend from St. Jean came to visit. (We both sailed on the HMCS Vancouver to Hawaii.) Went for dinner at Pub St. Alexandre, with a choice of 200 beers from around the world. Opted for Kilkenny, a fave from Ireland.

Matty screws up again: my friend suggested "gauffres" for dessert, which I confused for pancakes, which are of course "crepes." We ended up skipping dessert, but in the morning I tried ordering pancakes in French, accidentally asking for "gueppes." Well, either the cook misheard me or was biting his lip, as "gueppes" are wasps.

"Gauffres" are waffles, by the way...

At 10, my friend and I drove to the Montmorency falls, 20 mins east of Quebec City. Definitely worth visiting. You first cross a suspended bridge over the falls, then descend a cliff face via 480 zig-zagging wood steps.

For lunch, had chicken at Benny's, a St. Hubert's clone.

Sunday, watched "Speed," one of Keanu's
few decent acting turns. Later, I caught an episode of South Park in French... which featured a "Speed" spoof.

Monday, cooler weather. Bought a can of maple syrup for Beth. A half-litre only costs $7 here. Too bad it's the wrong season for the sugar bush.